FDA Tries to Smoke Out New Tobacco Czar

Just two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the bill giving the FDA the right to regulate cigarettes and tobacco products, the agency is setting up their new Tobacco Division at their Maryland headquarters, and is soliciting public comment on how to get it going.

They recently posted a help-wanted ad for a tobacco center director. In case you were wondering how they view their latest responsibility, the ad makes it clear that the FDA is looking for someone with a gold medal in political survival and strategy.

The ad exhorts applicants to “Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American!” To apply, it says you need substantial scientific expertise and experience in toxicology, epidemiology and public health, which is the new theme of the incoming commissioner and deputy commissioner at the FDA.

Then comes the real test—knowing how to play well in the Capitol Hill sandbox and at the White House: “Substantial expertise and experience in the area of administrative procedure and regulation, including deep familiarity with Congressional operations and policymaking in the executive branch” are required.

You must demonstrate “political savvy.” You need to know how to navigate around the existing infighting at the FDA, it says in a roundabout way.

The job description also wants you to have a proven track record in “coalition building” as well as in collaborating with the private sector — probably means the lobbyists for the companies who make Newports, Marlboros, Skoal and Camels.

It sounds like a job for a United Nation’s peacekeeper, but only U.S. citizens are eligible. It pays $117,787 to $177,000 annually.

If all this doesn’t make you want to light up, hurry and get in your application. The open period ends July 9.